Method of making a form tie



July 12, 1966 F. E. BUYKEN 3,259,930

METHOD OF MAKING A FORM TIE Filed May 4, 1964 INVENTOR FRANK E. BUY/(EM A TTO/QNE VS United States Patent 3,259,930 METHOD OF MAKING A FORM TIE Frank E. Buyken, 8620 Island Drive, Seattle, Wash. Filed May 4, 1964, Ser. No. 364,511 1 Claim. (Cl. 10155) This invention relates ,to a method of producing an improved concrete form tie and more particularly to the provision of a form-abutting flange on such ties in which the flange is secured and positioned by a pre-formed thread.

This invention relates to improvements -over the form tie disclosed in my US. Patent No. 3,075,272, issued January 29, 1963 and is concerned with the-method of providing securement means to locate a form-abutting washer at a desired position on a form tie rod swelled intermediate to its ends. This invention is related to but distinct from the invention disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 364,512, filed May 4, 1964. The distinctions alluded to will become more apparent during the course of the following description.

A primary object of this invention is the provision of an improved method of forming tie-rods to be employed in producing flanged form ties and in the method whereby such washers are attached and are located on the tie rods. Another object has been to provide a flanged form tie in which the spacing between the washer and the end of the tie rod may be simply and easily varied in the field by the use of simple tools and without requiring a high degree of skill on the part of the mechanic. Other objects have been to provide a form tie which by reason of its design lends itself well to modern high speed manufacturing procedures whereby volume production may be economically and eiflciently obtained with relatively unskilled labor and simple production tools.

Essentially, the invention is concerned with pre-threading a swelled portion of a tie rod and in providing a washer lanced outward from its center opening and hav ing a distorted edge, or two edges distorted, out of the plane of the washer and generally in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the washer whereby the washer may be coupled to the tie rod. In one form of washer it is satisfactory to make a single lancing cut, whereas in other circumstances, two, three or even four such cuts may be desirable. The preferred arrangement is that the lanoing cut be radial of the axis of the washer and terminate in spaced relation to the outer periphery of the washer.

The invention accomplishes the several objects, and others, as well become more apparent hereafter and is shown in preferred form in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a tie rod employing the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan view of an end portion of the rod of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a face view of a form-abutting washer according to the present invention;

FIGURES 4 and 5 are cross-section views on lines 4-4 and 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged view giving exemplary dimensions of a tie rod as in this invention.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a tie rod 10 is provided with flattened portions 12 conventionally employed to secure a locking engagement between the rod and concrete in which it may be embedded. Rod 10 has break points 14 near its ends whereby upon the application of a twisting force to the outer ends of the rod when the rod is embedded in concrete, an outer portion may be broken away. The outer ends 11, 11 of the rod have button heads 16 or any other suitable means whereby the rod may be en- 3,259,930 Patented July 1 2, 1966 gaged and tension may be applied while the rod is in a concrete form prior to and during the pouring of concrete.

the normal diameter of rod 10 and slightly smaller in diameter than a swelled portion 24.

Referring to FIGURE 6, by an upset or swelling operation practiced by use of gripping and forming tools, I

prefer to swell the rod in portions 24 to .250" diameter, and portions 26 to .257" diameter. The second and larger swelled portion 26 is contiguously inward relative the headed rod end 11 of the first swelled portion 24.

During, or following the shaping of swelled portions 24 and 26 on the rod, swelled portion 26 is provided with threads 27. Such threads may be either produced by means of gripping jaws having internal thread-forming contours which, as the rod swells, shapes the moving metal. Or, after portion 26 is formed as a swelled blank suitable threads may be cut therein.

Washer 18 in a machine punching operation is lanced to provide a cut 28 or, on occasion, lance cuts 28 and 30 as indicated in FIGURE 3. A lance cut shears the metal but no metal is removed. Preferably, at the same time that the lance cut is made, an edge of the cut is displaced or distorted out of the plane of the washer in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the washer to provide an exposed tooth 32 which mates with and follows threads 27. Or both edges of the cut may be thus displaced or distorted, each in a direction opposite the other.

Normally, .a washer having an opening 20 of a diameter of approximately .250" would be used. Under such circumstances, the washer 18 is slipped over the end of rod '10 after the threads are formed and before the later in provided with an end head 16. Washers 118 are pressed securely onto swelled portion 24 and against the threads 27 on swelled portion 26 with teeth 32 tending to bite into the metal for temporary placement.

The distance between the outer faces of a pair of washers 18-18, as shown in FIGURE 1, will have a factory predetermined dimension A. Usually this dimension will incrementally increase from 6" upward at the rate of about /z or 1 for each change of size. This is a custom in the manufacture of such tie rods because with high speed manufacturing procedures and equipment it is not desirable to manufacture other than a given size for a substantial number of rods. Otherwise, the production of each rod would be special and the machine operator would be constantly adjusting and moving his equipment. It thus becomes very apparent that one of the important objects of this invention is to permit later spacing of the washers 1818 apart a distance A, less some part of said distance, to provide a spacing that meets a specific requirement but not necessarily standard or predetermined. If it be assumed that the distance A in a given tie rod is 8" and the builders specification calls for a space of 7 /8", it will be seen that the washers 18 need to be closed together by approximately Longitudinal movement of the washers 18 is accomplished rotatively by means of the described tooth and thread-mating action.

In FIGURES 3 and 5 .are shown a pair of holes 36, 36 diametrically opposite each other; a spanner wrench (not shown) having projecting pins or horns spaced apart the distance between holes 36, 36 may be engaged in said holes by the workman and used to rotate a washer 18 while the rod 10 is being held against rotation.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may desirably be made in metals employed, in the relative hardness between washer and rod materials, in the lancin-g of the washer as to the numher of lance cuts and their direction, and otherwise as to shape and so forth. All those falling within the spirit and scope of the subjoined claim are intended to be covered herein.

What is claimed is:

The method of forming a concrete formatie-rod, comprising:

swelling a tie-rod blank inward .from its end to afdiaineter slightly greater than its normal diameter; forming malethread elements on said swelled .portion; from the outer end toward the inner end 'ofthe swelled portion; 7 providing a washer having an axial opening slightly larger than the normal diameter of the tie-rod and I slightly smaller than the outer thread diameter of the swelled portion;

lance-cutting said washer outward from its axial passage at opposed positions to points spaced inward from its periphery;

symmetrically deforming said washer at the lance-cut sides to form female thread elements outstanding on opposite sides of said washer, at the axial opening of the Washer, mating with the thread elements of the swelled portion; and screwing said washer on to said swelled portion of the tie rod.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,248,226

WILLIAM w. DYER, IR., Primary Examiner} F. T. YOST, Assistant Examiner; 

